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Nov. 9 1926.

' E- B. ALLEN NEEDLE MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Feb. 24, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY NOV. 9 1926. E. B. ALLEN NEEDLE MECHANISM FOR4SEWING MACHINES Filed F b. 24, 1926 I 2 Sheet s-Sheet 2 l\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ V m\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ '/y////////////////// INVENTOR WITNESS s BY TTORNEY another to form stitches.

Patented Nov. 9, '1

EDWARD B. ALLEN, NEVJ'IOWN, CONNECTICUT, .ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANIT- FACTURING COMPANY, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

NEEDLE MECHANISM non snwine macnrnns.

Application filed. February 24,1926. Serial No. 90,239.

This invention relates to sewing machines, more particularly of the buttonhole sewing type having upper and lower thread-carrying needles which are projected alternately through the work and cooperate with one Machines of the type in question commonly embody a stopmotion' device which automatically arrests and locks the main sewing shaft and stitchforming mechanism at the end of a sewing period with both needles retracted from the work. The under thread-carrying member or needle is difiicult to thread when in its retracted position of rest and an object of the present improvement is to provide for easy threading of the under thread-carrying member without the necessity of tripping the stop-motion deviceand turning the main sewing shaft, after which the machine must be run idly'through a complete cycle of operations to starting position before it is ready to sew. A further object ,of the invention is to provide a mechanism which is fool-proof. i a

To the attainment of the ends in view there is provided in the train of mechanism between the main sewing shaft andthe under thread-carrying member, a manually operable disconnecting means whereby such member may be temporarily disconnected from its driving shaft and projected to easy threading position. In the present embodiment, the disconnecting means comprises a spring-pressed pin-member and a socketmember with independent carriers therefor connected, respectively, to the main-shaft and under needle. To render the mechanism fool-proof, means are provided for insuring automatic re-connection of the needlecarrier to the driving shaft should the operator neglect tomanually restore the parts to working position before starting the machine. Such means may comprise a plate associatedwith the socket-member for holding the spring-pressed pin-member in retracted position, whereby, if the machine is started, the turning of the driving shaft will carry the socket-member into register with the pin-member which thereupon enters the socket-member under the influence of the spring and effects the desired re-connection automatically.

In the accompanying drawings'Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a. buttonhole sewing machine embodying the invention. Fig.2 is a front end elevation, partly in section, of the under needle actuating mechanism. Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a disassembled perspective view of certain of the parts shown in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5'is a face. view of the disk-like head of the driving shaft shown in Fig. 3.

The invention is shown as embodied in a sewing machine of the buttonhole type having a frameform'ed with a hollow rectangular bed a from which rises the standard 7) of the overhanging bracket-arm c terminating in the head 7 i i The stitch-forming mechanism may be of any suitable type. In the machine chosen for the purposes of the present disclosure, it

"is constructed substantially in accordance with the disclosure of my Patent No. 1,162,- 207, of November 30, 1915, and embodies the upper reciprocating straight eye-pointed needle 1 and the lower curved eye-pointed needle 2 which is sustained by the rotary turret 8. The needle 1 is carried by the needle-bar 4 and the usual turning movements, as for stitching the ends of a buttonhole, are imparted to the needle-bar and turret by means of the upper and lower sector-gears 5, 5, connected by links 6, 7, to arms 8, 9. on the shaft 10; the arm 9 having a cam-follower 11 entering the usual stitchrotating cam-groove 12 in the feed-wheel 13, as disclosed in said patent.

The buttonhole cutting mechanism including the travelling cutter-levers 14, 15, the work-holder mechanism including the lower plates 16 and upper clamping feet 17, and the several remaining elements of the machine not herein specially set forth are preferably constructed substantially in accordance with the disclosure of my Patent No.

1,346,102, of July 13, 1920.

The under needle 2 is mounted on the needle-carrier arm 18 which is fulcrumed at 19 on the supporting post 20 rising from the turret 3. The needle-carrier arm 18 is connected by the link 21 to the vertically moving head 22 fixed to the upper end of the sleeve-shaft 23 slidably mounted within the hollow turret spindle 24. Slidably mounted in bearings 25, 25, in parallelism with the shaft 23 is a shaft 26 to which is fixed a lateral arm 27 having a forked extremity 28 embracing the groove 29 in the shaft 23 and thus connecting the shafts 23 and 26 to reciprocate in unison. It will be understood that reciprocation of such shafts imparts the usual reciprocating movements to the under needle 2, carrying the latter from a position below the needle-throat member or work-support 30 to a position above the same, and return. The needle. 2 carries a loop of under thread through the work and presents such loop at theupper side of the work for entry. by the upper needle-1 which.

passes a loop of upper thread through thev loop of under thread and through the work. A suitable looper device 31, such as disclosed in my said Patent No. 1,162,207,. seizes a loop of upper threadsfrom'the upper needle and presents such loop for entry by the under needle on its upward passage through the work.

The shaft 26 is connected by means of the link 32 to the lever 33-fulcrumed at 34 to the frame and carrying between its ends the stud-pin 35 embraced by one end of the link 36, the other end of which embracesthe crank-pin 37 on. the disk 38 journaled on the stud-screw 39 which is. threaded-into the end of the shaft 40coaxially with the latter. The shaft 40 isgeared at 41 to the main sewing shaft 42, the period of action of which is controlled by the usual stop-motion device 43 (disclosedfor examplein my said Patents Nos. 1,162,207 and 1,346,102) which stops theshaft 42 in a predetermined angular position with the needles 1 and 2 out of the work.

The disk 38 is coupled to the shaft 40 by means of the coupling pin 44 which passes through the crank-pin 37' and has a groove 45 near its inner end embraced by the forked end 46 of a leaf-spring 47 mounted in a recess 48 in the inner face of the disk 38. The spring. 47 yieldingly holds the pin 44 in the aperture 49 in the disk-like head 50 at the free endof the shaft 40.

When the machine is at rest the lower needle is normally below the work-support 30 and the parts of the driving mechanism are in full-line position, Fig. 2. With the parts in this position the operatormay grasp the. knob 44 of the coupling pin 44 and withdraw the latter. from the socket 49 whereupon the crank-pin 37, link. 36,. lever 33 and associated parts may be shifted to dotted line position, Fig. 2, to project the needle 2 to easy threading position above the work-support needle-throat. member 30. After the needle 2 has been threaded, the operator should shift. the disk 38' back to initial position whereupon the pin 44 will enter the hole 49 underthe influence of the spring 47 and re-couple the under needle 2 to .its driving mechanism. However, in case the operator neglects to re-couple the needle 2 to the driving shaft 40 such re-coupling will be effected automatically upon starting the machine; theshaft 40 in its initial move ment carrying, the hole 49 into registry with the pin 44 whichit picks up when; the pin enters such hole under the influence of the spring 47. The disk-like head 50' on the shaft 40 holds the coupling pin 44 in retracted positionat all times except when such pin is in register with the hole 49 in such head.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is 1. Ina sewing machine, in combinatioma reciprocating needle, a driving shaft-,operative connections between. said needle and drivingshaft, a stop-motion device for .controlling the period of action of said driving shaft, manual means operable only when the main shaft is at rest-for shifting the needle out'of working relation with itsdrivin means to a position for easy threading, and automatic means for restoringpworking relation of the needle to its driving means upon startingsaid shaft.

2. In a sewingmachine, in combination, a work-support, a work-'penetrating. eyepointed. under needle disposed. below the work-support, a main-shaft, operative connections between said shaft and needle, a stop-motion device for stopping the mainshaft with said needle out of the work, said connections including co-acting pin-andsocket members, independently carriers for said members connected,vone to said main-shaft and the other to said under needle, one of said members being springpressed and being manually withdrawable from coupling engagement with the other member to permit the under needle to be projected above the work-support for easy threading, and automatic means for insuring pick up of the member connected to the needle by the member connected to the main-shaft upon starting the latter.

3. In a sewing machine, in combination, stitch-forming devices including an eyed thread-carrying member, a main-shaft, operative driving connections between said main-shaft and said eyed thread-carrying member, means for stopping said mainshaft in a predetermined angular position, and manually operable means for breaking the driving connection betweensaid mainshaft and said eyed thread-carryingmember, permitting the latter to be manually shifted along its working path to a position for easy threading, without turning the mainshaft, and automatic means for restoring said driving connection upon starting said main-shaft.

4. In a sewing machine, a reciprocating needle, a driving shaft, a disk fixed to one end of said shaft and formed inits face with a socket spaced from the axis of said shaft, a crankmember mounted adj acent the movable face of said disk to rotate coaxially with the shafts axis independently of said shaft and disk, operative connections between said crank member and said needle, and a spring pressed pin carried by said crank member and entering the socket in said disk, said pin being manually withdrawable from said socket to permit the needle to be shifted to a .position for easy threading, said disk serving to hold the pin in retracted position until register of the pinand-socket is restored.

name to this specification.

EDWARD B. ALLEN. 

